


Nothing Sweeter Than a Mother's Love

by Ononymous



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Undertale, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-17 17:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12370614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: As Flowey's weariness with his distractions grows incessantly, the one constant is that emptiness where a soul should be. But the best opportunity to address that has failed again and again. But then he realises there is an alternative...





	Nothing Sweeter Than a Mother's Love

He stood on the outcropping, surveying the old city. Before his time it had been positively thriving. His own memories were of it being populated but quiet, before he had met his best friend and shortly moved to an even larger city. Now it was almost completely dead. Those memories did nothing for him right now. Instead this overview was a good spot to return to if his plan went wrong. Closing his eyes briefly, he concentrated as he made the preparations to return here, should it come to that. Nothing to do but wait. And think.

He had tried being polite. He had tried being rude. He had tried being violent. He had even tried being himself. His target had never wavered. And brute force never worked, his goal was too well protected. He wasn't strong enough. But he knew he could become stronger. He had come to understand this about himself. However the six greatest paths to power were beyond his reach, while he was too weak to absorb from the commoners. That left two alternatives...

As he scurried from the city, he heard her footsteps. Right on schedule, she was returning from the grave. She had that small smile on her muzzle she usually wore when walking through the ruins, giving brief greetings to those monsters not intimidated by her stature. She had spent an unusually long time there today, but he knew why. In fact he was counting on it.

She walked slowly up the path. With her daily task complete, there was no urgency. It was pathetic, really. At least he was working towards a goal of bettering himself. Hidden, he watched as she made her usual stop at the tree, regarding the leaves on the ground that could never stay attached for more than a day or two. In his time it had been much more lively. Perhaps it sensed the Underground's grief. Bleh, why was he thinking about that? Oh, she's on the move again. Time to "accidentally" knock over these rocks.

It got her attention. She stopped with her hand on the door handle, and instead turned around.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Slowly he moved up to her. It didn't take long for her to notice, and that look of surprise was the expected reaction. She'd never seen anything like him before. As far as she remembered.

"Howdy!"

No, no, no, you idiot. That put her on edge. It's too soon to bring it up. But before he could admonish himself too much, her momentary frown returned to curiosity.

"Oh, I am sorry, little one. It is just, you reminded me of something."

He could work with that. Now for a charm offensive.

"It's no problem at all, Miss Toriel!"

"Oh? You know my name?"

"Everyone in the Ruins knows you!"

"Is that so? And yet, I have never seen you before."

"Well that's true. You could say I'm new here. I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!"

She regarded him with renewed curiosity. "That is a most... appropriate name, Flowey. Are you related to the Vegetoids?"

"You know, I'm not sure! Maybe we're distant cousins."

The faux-cheerful chitchat felt cloying as he lacked the sincerity to back it up. But he was used to it, especially as he was working towards his goal.

"Well then, Flowey, is there anything I can help you with?"

"That's really nice of you, but no thanks. I just realised I had been rude not to introduce myself, since you're in charge around here."

That reminder of her past job had been deliberate. Now was the time to start planting the seeds. The renewed frown was what he wanted.

"I do not feel as though I am 'in charge'. I merely tend to any who need me here."

"And from what I hear, you do a great job of it! You should hear what Frichard the Froggit said about you." Frichard technically hadn't said it yet, but he would in a couple of days.

"Oh. Well, I am glad they appreciate it. Hmm. This is strange."

"What's strange, Miss Toriel?"

"We have never met, and yet I feel comfortable speaking to you."

"I'm good at winning people over," he said mock-humbly, "and maybe it's because I'm in a good mood."

She relaxed a little, smiling at the cheerfulness she deluded herself into sensing. "Well, good moods are the best moods, even if we must endure their less pleasant counterparts to fully appreciate them. Is there a particular reason?"

"Well... actually there is, but..." he turned his head away, using his genuine nervousness to portray shyness, "It's kinda personal."

"My apologies, Flowey. I did not mean to intrude-"

"Oh, alright," he chirped, "I'm in a good mood because today's my birthday!"

If he hadn't have been working a particular angle, it would still have been worth it for that look on her face, the hastily concealed shock at the coincidence. For it was no coincidence. By the reckoning of his old life, it _was_ his birthday. He'd even had some good times with Papyrus to celebrate it over and over for a while, before he got bored. He was tempted to play his hand now, torment her a little, then return to where he had been in the city and do it again. But no, maybe if this attempt doesn't work.

"I s-see," she said unsteadily, and then forcing herself to smile again, "well, congratulations. How old are you?"

"Hmm..." he screwed up his face in a look of concentration, "golly, I'm not sure! It feels like it's been so long since my last birthday, I think I lost count! I don't think the normal rules apply for flowers anyway."

"That is... unusual. But then you are an unusual person."

"I've heard. Well, thanks for the well wishes, Miss Toriel, see you-"

"Wait a moment, Flowey."

Good, he had his vines in her.

"What is it?"

"Can you wait there a few minutes?"

"Welllllll... okay!"

She hurried inside. He hadn't expected this, but he knew she didn't suspect anything, so it didn't hurt to play along. It was probably the birthday thing making her do this. Was she about to get him a present? What could she possibly have that would suit a flower?

The smell answered him. Of course. He had forgotten about that. It smelled pleasant enough, but he didn't feel like he could say it smelled good. Sure enough, Toriel emerged from the house holding a large warm pie.

"I baked it this morning. I thought you might like a slice to celebrate."

He let the genuine ache he nursed where his affection once existed guide the disheartened reaction on his face.

"Well golly, that's really nice of you, Miss Toriel. But flowers can't eat monster food. I tried once or twice, almost choked on it!"

"Oh..." she looked dejected, "I am sorry. It was insensitive of me to presume."

"Don't worry about it! It sure smells nice."

Toriel brightened up again. "Well, I can lay it here if you would like to smell it."

"Thanks!"

He put on an improvised show of sniffing it deeply and making satisfied oohs and ahs, while Toriel beheld him looking pleased. At least he was enjoying the smell on one level, even if the memories it conjured did not affect him at all. And there was an opportunity here.

"Hey," he said after a while, "if you baked this before I came along, who was it for? Were you going to eat it all by yourself?"

Bingo, there was the wistful look he wanted.

"It is... an act of remembrance. There was... somebody I used to know. And today happens to be their birthday as well."

"Really?"

"Yes. They love my- They loved my pie. So by baking it, I can remember them."

"Wow..." he said softly, "I can't believe you would share something so precious with a stranger."

She missed the irony in his voice. "Well, perhaps it is better put to use with a new friend than lingering in my fridge for a month. Perhaps my problems _stem_ from doing that too much."

She actually chuckled, while Flowey hid his disgust behind his vapid grin. He hadn't seen what would happen if that dumb skeleton ever met her, but he knew the puns alone would be endless torture. Every single one a reminder of when he had been stopped dead, literally. Before long her smile shifted to a thoughtful look. The best play was to look expectantly, as if she'd suddenly launch into her own self-serving version of the story he'd wheedled out of her on a number of occasions. After a while however she appeared to move on.

"So, do you have any other friends, Flowey? Do you celebrate your birthday with anybody else?"

"Well..." he let some genuine sadness show though, "I used to have a friend. A really great one. But I let them down badly. And I can't make it up to them. They... they aren't around anymore."

"Oh. I am sorry to hear that."

"I also have a dad, but I can't say I'm really close to him these days. It's a flower thing."

"Is he 'still around'? Where does he live?"

"Oh yeah, he's still around. Spends most of his time in a biiiig garden at the other side of the Underground."

The way she was making the connection actually amused him.

"I..." she was being really careful here, like she didn't want to admit her own past life, "I heard of such a garden. In New Home? Near the barrier?"

"That's the one! I was kinda born there!"

In her own revery she had missed his "kinda". Which was good, he wasn't yet ready to tip his hand. He had to be more careful about his choice of words.

"I understand if you do not wish to speak of it but... has your father ever spoken about who else would be in that garden? Other monsters, I should say?"

"Nope!" he said honestly. "Most of the time when I was there, it was just me and him!"

"That is... odd..." she said quietly. However she didn't push any further.

"So," he said suddenly, in an attempt to move the subject on, "whatcha get for _your_ last birthday?"

Her thoughtfulness melted into heartache. She actually started rubbing her eye.

"It... it has been a long time since anyone celebrated my birthday, Flowey. I suppose we have that in common. Nobody has been around to note it."

Flowey knew for a fact this was not true, even if she didn't. Someone still celebrated her birthday. Far more than he celebrated his own. He had watched him buy the same stupid cake and put the same stupid candle in it and say the same stupid words at the same stupid picture he had of her, over and over again. He didn't even bother eating the cake, it was pathetic. And right now, as they spoke, he was trying to bake a stupid pie to try and remember _him_ , and it wouldn't even be any good, and he'd just throw it away. At least Toriel would eventually eat this pie she baked. It was all a waste of time. Enough of this. Time to make his move.

"Well, what would you ask for if someone wanted to get you a present?"

He took a moment to enjoy her struggling with trying to find an answer. She obviously wanted a lot of things, and all of them, as far as she knew, were impossible. Eh, down to business.

"Well I know what I'd want more than anything else, if someone could give it to me."

"Oh?" A look of hope stole across her face, as if she might be in a position to give him what he wanted. And as it transpired, she was right. "What would you want?"

"Why, a soul of course!"

Even though this was the first time he had tried this, he knew the effect these word would have. She looked utterly bewildered. She could not have possibly anticipated such an answer.

"A s-soul?!" To her credit, she tried to stay calm. "Do, do flowers not have souls?"

"Well, I can't talk for other flowers, but I sure don't. I lost mine."

"You lost it? I do not understand, how would that happen?"

"It's a long story. But it doesn't matter. I need a new one."

"And, well, how would you do this?"

"Well it ain't like I can borrow one!" he said brightly. "Whatever I take is for keeps! But normal monsters, their souls are dust as soon as their bodies are, aren't they? And anyone with a soul that can stick around is too strong."

His cheerful tone hid the actual meaning of his words, but Toriel was picking up on it however. "Dust?! Y-you have... killed-"

"Nah, don't worry! Nobody's hurt!" Yet. "I'm just messing. Besides, I don't need to. I saw there are a few spare ones lying around at New Home."

She clutched her chest. Flowey knew that spiders had carried reports of the King's pursuit of the war to her long ago, but as far as he knew, this was the first time she had heard eyewitness confirmation of the souls' existence. Not counting the other times he had told her.

"You mean... he... Asgore... really did it? The spiders mentioned... but a foolish part of me hoped that perhaps some of them had..."

"Uh..." he had not yet mastered trying to sound sympathetic, but he figured she was too worked up to notice, "you knew some of them?"

She let out a dry sob as she thought of the seven people that had broken her heart. She actually turned away from Flowey, resting one hand upon the wall of her house, trembling fiercely.

"Oh, you fool, Asgore... you coward..." 

Okay, it had been fun to start with, but it was getting boring. Time to take what was his.

"There there, Toriel," his voice was sardonic, "maybe soon a seventh human will fall down you can play mommy with, and you can have another replacement so you can forget about me. _Again_."

Toriel froze at the unexpected words. Now was the time to put on the finishing touch. He wasn't worried about this step. He had practised it thoroughly for a while, and it had been easier than he thought, easier than someone else's. It was as though his body knew what form it wanted to take, but lacked the power to do it. He just needed one part.

"Replace... replace you?" she asked, turning around. "I do not-"

It worked like a charm. She clutched her mouth in blind shock as her eyes bulged at his true face.

"Why did you forget me, Mom?"

She remained frozen for a long moment. He had expected her to stagger backwards, maybe scream, consumed by guilt and horror. To his great surprise however, she actually marched forward, dropped to her knees, and hugged him tightly.

"Oh... I thought... I am so sorry..."

The hug offered no warmth, it merely annoyed him. But still, he could work with this. She was just as unable to defend herself like this as she would be while paralysed by horror. Time to put her out of her very real misery.

"Idiot." he whispered.

_PING._

A dozen small white bullets appeared behind her, and before she could register the sound, zoomed straight into her back. The sobbing vanished, punctuated by a gasp of shocked pain. She released him.

"Wha-?"

Better not to leave an opening, finish the job. Two great vines sprouted from his stem and smashed into her, causing her in turn to crash into the wall of the house. He could see it in her eyes as she crumpled to the ground. She was beyond saving. She struggled to lift her head. To look at him one last time.

"I... sorry..."

She mouthed a third word, but had spent her breath with the first two. Flowey realised it was his name. Then, with what sounded like a loud sigh, she collapsed in on herself. Her robes crumpled completely, and swirls of dust began to settle on the ground.

Flowey's usual face reasserted itself. Well that was fun, he'd have to remember that one. But where was her soul? Eyes darting around, he spotted it. The inverted white heart he had been robbed of a century ago by his own stupidity. It was already trembling, ready to crack apart. Well, he'd better not leave it out in the open like that. Another vine wrapped around it and, with a savage triumph, he brought it into himself.

He closed his eyes for a long time, reveling in a yearning that always gnawed finally being silenced. When he opened them at last, he couldn't notice any major physical difference. There were no mirrors, so he couldn't see that his eyes were now green.

So, what had his mother given him? Time to take stock. He was still a flower. Maybe he needed more power to escape this prison of a body, maybe something else had to happen. He could figure that out later, better to know your limits. Apart from feeling more complete he didn't feel any different. What about magic? He fired a few bullets and slapped his vines around. Seemed more powerful. That's good. And maybe he could experiment with absorbing a froggit or two, he might be able to take them before their souls shattered now.

Or wait... How about some fire?

He held a vine out like an open palm and concentrated. It felt warm. Soon a small ball of flame appeared. Oh, he had missed this. In delight he threw it at the dead tree. The leaves started blazing.

And come to think of it, how about the stuff his parents never taught him? Or what about that one spell Toriel had tried to teach him? He thought back to that lesson, her words, his spluttering attempts. He replicated his motions as best as he could without arms, and got similar results. Dammit, why didn't it work? Wait. What if he thought about that lesson from Toriel's memories? He should have them now, right? Sure enough, he remembered seeing himself practice, while recalling what was needed to make the spell work perfectly. He copied Toriel's movements that day, and sure enough, a massive ring of bright blue fire erupted into existence.

"Now we're talking!"

Even if he still couldn't absorb normal souls like this, the increased power and experience gave him many more options. Maybe he could even take on the smiley trashbag, grab Asgore's soul and learn how to unlock the human souls. But first thing's first: Better put this fire to good use. He looked around for a good target, and spotted the pie, now with dust on one side, and wondered how hot he would need to go to make it burn. He gestured, and the ring surrounded the pie and began to close in.

But as he did so, he remembered something else. He was standing at a kitchen counter, arms surrounding a pie he was baking with his own fire. The scene changed, and he was baking another pie, in another kitchen. And again. Different clothes this time. And once, he even seemed shorter, and he could see the sky outside as he worked.

It seemed accessing Toriel's memories had spurred others to come. And before he could ponder the implications of this, the recollections shifted to a dining room. He was placing the pie on the table, with two excited faces and a third uncertain one. He wasn't sure how to react. The heat he had applied to the pie had warmed it up, and he was able to smell it again. It smelt... good.

And with a lurching warmth he didn't recognise at first, he heard it.

_...my child..._

"Huh? Who's there?!"

_...my son, is this really you?_

This was more than he bargained for.

"M-mom?!"

_It is you! It IS you! I thought you merely took his face to trick me! Oh, Asriel, what happened...?_

His name appearing unbidden in his head scared him.

"You, you're here? Inside me?"

_Yes, my child! I am here!_

He understood. It was like with Chara. Toriel's consciousness had not been quelled by her death, and had instead been awoken by his prodding of her memories. She hadn't taken control, but she was free to speak. And her thoughts were emerging independently. To prove this, he now remembered holding himself, hugging him tightly after a childhood scrape of some sort. And then he remembered receiving the hug from his mother. It felt warm for the first time in a long time. It was actually frightening.

"You're here with me? It feels weird. It feels... good."

He had genuinely forgotten. He felt like he was still being hugged as Toriel's affection enveloped him. The feeling no longer annoyed him.

"Mom. Mom!" he cried, allowing the warmth to fill him. "I remember! I can feel it! I love you, I-"

The warmth turned to ice. He was remembering how he had come to this state. The face still struggling with the shock of betrayal, but apologising to him nonetheless...

"Oh... oh no... what have I done?"

_Asriel, it is alright, I am with you, do not-_

But he couldn't help it. He was looking at the robes she had worn minutes ago, and it was the only thing he could think of.

"I'm sorry, it was just a game! I just wanted to see what could happen!"

_Please, my child, calm down. Let me help you..._

But other memories were flooding in, cruelly recontextualised. He thought briefly of his entire existence as Flowey, and as he saw it, so did Toriel. He was filled with sorrow from an outside source.

_Oh, my child. You have endured so much. I am so sorry! I should have understood when you sought my help-_

"Shut up! I can't think-! Papyrus, I'm sorry I did that, you were always so nice! Vulkin, I thought you'd just make the water warmer, I didn't think you'd drown! Alphys, I just lost my temper that one time because of what you did to me. I'm sorry I ripped it off!"

The horror of his crimes came cascading down, and as he felt it, it was accompanied by a reverberating heartache as Toriel experienced the sudden tsunami of remorse drowning her son.

_Please Asriel, let me help you. We... we can go to your Father, he may be the only one who can help. I am the only one you have hurt, surely-_

"No, you're not! I let Chara down, I promised and I-"

_Chara? What happened to Chara?_

He regretted mentioning them. Try as he might to stop himself, he thought of the plan. The heartache unconnected with his own agony swelled.

_Oh... oh Chara... I wish we had known..._

" **NO!** " he shrieked. "You weren't supposed to see that! I promised not to tell! Chara, I'm sorry. I should have gone through with it like you said, I should have been stronger!"

_Asriel, Chara was wrong-_

"Shut up!" he screeched. "Chara was trying to help us! If I did my part properly-"

_My child, listen-_

" _Get out!_ " He screamed. "It hurts too much! I don't want your soul anymore! I don't deserve it!"

_No. I will not leave you alone again. Not after so long!_

So he tried to expel her by force. Whether normal monsters could do this, he had no idea, but he instinctively knew as a vessel he could normally release souls at will. But she refused to budge no matter how hard he tried. She now had access to the determination that had awoken him, and she was tapping into it to hold on.

"Please!" he begged. "I want the pain to stop! I want to make it up to Chara!"

_Please..._

"I'll go back! To when you were alive, then I can-"

_Wait-_

There was a moment of soothing darkness and silence. He felt his mind reconnect with his body. So he opened his eyes.

He was looking over the abandoned city again. He felt unsteady, and nervous, but the pain seemed to have subsided. Maybe it had worked?

This whole thing had been a bad idea, it would be best if he slipped out of the Ruins and think of something else to do. He scurried along at top speed, determined to avoid Toriel spotting him. But as he thought of her-

_How did you do that?_

"What? Why are you still here?!"

_I told you, I will not leave you!_

Somehow her soul had the strength to accompany him when he went back. For a being who normally couldn't handle determination, she had become adept at wielding it. The warmth suddenly flooded him again.

_Asriel, please! Remember this love! You have missed this feeling, I know it! We can work through it! Go to your father and-_

" **NO!** " he screamed. The warmth continued to fill him, but with the paradoxical feeling of ice as his remorse settled back in again. " **GET OUT!** "

His eyes were shut tight as he once again tried to force the unwanted soul from him, and once again failed. He started flailing around and thrashing as the conflicting feelings raged and swelled within him.

"It hurts! I'm sorry! I'm scared! I'm alone!"

_Please my child! You are not alone!_

Toriel's soul started to resonate within him, reacting to something nearby.

"Please leave me alone! I didn't mean it!"

"Is someone there?"

_Whatever you have done, Asriel, I shall love you. We can help you._

"Not without Chara!"

What must have been his roots now smacked heavily against the ground as he continued to flail, wrenched completely from the ground in his effort to banish her. But she clung on as tight as ever. He could feel his face rearranging of its own volition, so occupied with this struggle that his other abilities must have been responding to his subconscious.

_Chara is gone! We must find a way-_

"There is no way! Get out!"

_Never._

As he continued to thrash, his face was buried in he didn't even know what, they must be his vines. He had completely stopped paying attention to the state of his body.

"Are you alright over there?"

"Please make it stop! I don't like this!"

_Asriel, please calm down!_

"If you won't... then I have to go to the beginning!"

" _ASR-?!_ "

_**NO!!!** _

The soothing darkness and silence returned. He could feel something being wrenched from his core. 

_Please... I... love..._

But going all the way back was finally too much for her. The something finally ripped free from him and fell into the darkness. It was agony. But he could no longer remember what it was...

He awoke in the cool darkness of the throne room at night. Weird. He felt groggy and confused. He had some vague memories like this, from shortly before he truly woke as he was for the first time. What had just happened? He wasn't sure.

Well, no point beating about the bush. He burrowed away, through the corridors, knowing exactly when to stop so Royal Guards could pass him without detection. This time, he felt a need to take a detour through Asgore's house. It had been a while since he did that. He got there so quick, he actually heard the even rumbling snores of the King. He usually got there to hear quiet sobbing after he had a nightmare about something. Maybe he would ask him about it someday. Not this time.

Clearing the castle, his options for movement opened up. His old statue. That should be quiet enough. He needed to think. Before long he sat in the cool corridor in Waterfall, observing the phosphorescent glowing without taking any pressure. He still had no idea what had happened last time. Had the smiley trashbag come up with something even more painful? Well, maybe best to avoid him for a while. But dammit, how was he gonna get a soul?

Wait, it didn't have to be a human soul. What if he grabbed a monster and-

_NO!!!_

He suddenly felt bitter cold and dread at the thought as the word sprang from his addled memories. Somehow, on an instinctual level, he knew that grabbing a monster soul was not worth the hassle without human souls to complement it.

Of course, that left him out of options, didn't it? He had tried being polite. He had tried being rude. He had tried being violent. He had even tried being himself. But Asgore never wavered.

Hang on. What if someone close to Asgore asked to see them? Then he could swoop in and... Yeah, that might work. Not Undyne though, he never made much headway with her. He needed someone to be part of the Royal Guard and...

Hey, it had been a while since he played with Papyrus. Maybe he should introduce himself in the morning...

**Author's Note:**

> Original Pastebin Version: https://pastebin.com/r7TryjDP
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


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